Stay With Me
by pastelsharks
Summary: Camping just outside Mistral, Yang and the gang stumble upon Blake, who seems to have followed them because of her concern for Yang's well being. Despite this, Blake avoids the blonde due to her guilt of Yang losing her arm. Yang, not being able to stand the silent treatment, confronts Blake and reveals her feelings.


Days. Weeks. Months. How long had it been? Yang ran a hand through her long, curly blonde hair and let out a frustrated sigh. How long had it been since she'd seen Blake? At some point she'd lost count of the days following the fall of Beacon Academy and attempted to focus on other matters, such as finding her sister, Ruby, and the rest of the gang. Well, she successfully focused on _only_ that until a few days ago. Locating the team hadn't proven too difficult, considering they decided on camping right outside Mistral. Weiss even found them with ease before Yang showed up. The reunion was a happy, warm welcome with a tight hug from Ruby, followed by Nora, Jaune, Ren, and Weiss piling in to welcome her back too.

Another sigh escaped the blonde's lips. Now, however, focusing on anything else felt nearly impossible. Blake was the only one missing. Yang missed the moody catgirl more than she cared to admit, but she also felt a bit of anger towards Blake for running off in the first place. _How could she?_ Her mind constantly raced with this question, along with several others. _Why did she run? Where is she now? Did she properly care for her wound? And where was…_ he _?_

"Yang, are you listening?" A high-pitched voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh. Sorry, sis," Yang replied as she turned to face her younger sibling. "I was just… lost in thought."

Ruby crossed her arms over her chest and huffed in response. "Yeah, I noticed, but can you help out, please? We're almost done setting up camp, but we still need to get a fire going and that's your job." Yang looked up and noticed everyone had been hard at work setting up their campsite. She was the only one who had done nothing.

"Right, I'll get on that."

"Thank you."

Not long after, the team huddled around the fire, attempting to keep warm as the sun set and the temperature dropped. All was quiet as soon as the sun vanished from view and the moon took its place.

Despite the happiness of reuniting, no one seemed in a mood for chatter as they used to. Times were no longer as simple as when the six teenagers were students at Beacon. Yang glanced at each of her friends. It was easy to tell how much they all missed those days. She could almost read their minds, knowing they were reminiscing about the same memories as her. It seemed so long ago. Back then, all that mattered was whether or not they'd pass their next exam and enjoying their time as students and as friends. Now, they were comrades, fighting side by side and worrying if their next day could be their last.

Yang turned her gaze up to the sky, admiring the vast array of stars scattered above her. _Still_ , she thought to herself in an attempt to lift her spirits, _I can't help but feel something good is coming very soon._

"You know," she started. The group seemed to break from their own thoughts and turned their gaze towards her, somewhat surprised to hear her voice. "It's a beautiful night. The stars are so clear here. It's not at all like Vale."

They followed her gaze. Weiss smiled. "You're right. They are beautiful, but you should see the stars in Atlas. We even have auroras during certain times of the year."

"That sounds amazing. I'd like to see that," Ren chimed in.

Weiss' smile widened. "It was. It was one of the few things I loved about living in Atlas."

"You always have to one-up us with your talk about Atlas, huh, Ice Queen?" Ruby snickered.

"Hey! That's not what I was trying to do, I was—"

The group burst into laughter before the white-haired girl could finish, leaving her flustered and scowling into the fire for a brief moment. With Yang successfully breaking the silence, chatter and laughter continued to fill the air. A small smile formed on her lips as she closed her eyes, listening to her teammates converse and feeling a sense of comfort embrace her. She leaned back on the palms of her hands, letting out a sigh of relief. This was what she missed so dearly.

After a few hours of reminiscing, laughing, and planning out their next move, the teens decided to settle in for the night. To remain safe and keep an eye out for Grimm, they decided to rotate a guard shift, with Yang volunteering to stay up first. Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Weiss unfurled and shuffled into their sleeping bags as she stoked the fire. Her calm, relaxed mood slowly disappeared and a somber expression settled on her face. She had to keep her mind occupied. The blonde skimmed the area, and deeming it safe, retrieved a few loose branches from the surrounding trees to keep the fire going. She'd been so focused on her task, she hadn't heard her sister shuffle up behind her.

"Hey sis," came Ruby's voice from behind her, startling the older girl and causing her to drop a few branches. Ruby let out a small snicker and kneeled down to recover them. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's no big deal. But what are you doing up? You should be trying to get some rest." Yang eyed the campsite a few yards away. The others were still conversing quietly, paying no mind to the two sisters. Apparently no one was in for a restful night.

Ruby furrowed her brow, ignoring Yang's question and asking one of her own instead. "Are you okay? I know you've been through a lot, but you can talk to me, you know. I'm worried about you. We all are."

Yang turned her gaze back to her younger sister. A pained expression crossed her face and she looked down in an attempt to hide it. "I'm fine. It's just—"

Before Yang could finish, a rustle in the trees caught the girls' attention. Impulsively, they whipped around in the direction of the noise, ceasing their short-lived talk.

"Did you hear that?" asked Ruby quietly as her silver eyes searched the trees. Her right hand reflexively grasped her Crimson Rose.

"Yeah, I did," Yang replied, quickly activating her Ember Celica. Her lavender eyes also skimmed the trees, waiting to spot a movement that would give away their unwelcome guest's location.

"Are you guys alright?" called Jaune from the campsite. Yang turned to see him and the others now standing, watching the two of them intently.

She had no time to respond before another rustle came from the trees, followed by a shadowy figure leaping from a branch to the ground and fleeing further into the woods.

"After it!" Ruby commanded and immediately took off, disappearing into the brush with Yang on her tail. The remaining four exchanged looks and grabbed their weapons, following the two in their pursuit. Further ahead, the two sisters chased the unknown runaway, keeping up but unable to gain any ground. Ruby bit her lip as they ran, desperate for a plan to present itself to her. She peered around the shadowy figure and saw a clearing in the trees just ahead of them. Suddenly, an idea formed in her mind and she looked over at her older sister.

"Yang," Ruby called to her as they ran. "I'll scout up ahead, you stay on its tail and I'll try to stop it from the front!"

"Got it," the blonde replied, keeping her eyes locked on her target. Suddenly, the black-haired girl vanished in a flurry of rose petals. Up ahead, Yang could see her sister reappear in the clearing a fair distance in front of their fleeing target. Ruby anchored her scythe into the ground, kneeling down and peering into its scope with her hand on the trigger. Her aim was careful, quick, and precise. She shot only one round, but it was enough to throw off whatever was trying to escape. The shot forced the figure to veer to the left and stumble, giving Yang the opportunity to grab and tackle it to the ground. She tumbled over with the figure in her firm grasp and pinned it underneath her, drawing back her free arm to deliver a loaded punch.

"Stop! It's me!"

The familiar voice caused Yang to freeze instantly and her eyes to widen, her fist still raised above her, ready to strike. Immediately, a flood of memories rushed into her mind as she pictured who the voice belonged to. Blake. That voice belonged to Blake. Her heart swelled at the thought. It couldn't be, could it? Surely she was dreaming. She peered down at the captured escapee and her breath caught in her throat.

Ruby hurried to her sister, still wielding her scythe and on her guard. Finally catching a glimpse of their captured target, she screeched to a halt just as the rest of the team appeared from the brush, out of breath. They took a moment to collect themselves before assessing the situation. Weiss, composing herself rather quickly, glared at Ruby and threw her hands angrily in the air, paying no mind to Yang.

"What was that about? You two just took off and—"

"Weiss," Ruby interrupted the white-haired girl's attempt at lecturing and gestured to Yang. Her eyes hadn't left her older sister and the figure pinned below her.

Weiss' gaze, along with the others', followed Ruby's and settled on the blonde and the shadowy figure she had captured. A small gasp escaped Weiss' lips as she realized who Yang had pinned.

"Blake?" Weiss called out softly.

Hearing the catgirl's name out loud, Yang snapped out of her trance and immediately stood up, backing several feet away from her. She stared at the black-haired faunus , dumbfounded and unsure whether or not she could trust her eyes. The blonde wasn't quite convinced this wasn't all just a dream.

Blake, now free to move, slowly stood and brushed herself off, avoiding the eyes of her former friends and teammates. She kept her gaze low to the ground and let out a soft, almost inaudible sigh. "Um, hey," she spoke quietly.

"It's Blake!" Ruby cheered happily and threw her hands in the air, as if Blake's voice confirmed it really was her. She gathered the catgirl up in a hug and laughed. "Where have you been? Oh, it's so good to see you!" The chase and capture had already been forgotten by the young huntress. She was too overwhelmed with happiness at the return of her friend.

Blake gave Ruby a small smile. It was nice to see that she hadn't changed much since the last time they'd been together. "It's good to see you too, Ruby."

Weiss, on the other hand, had no intention of letting Blake off the hook so easily. "Yes, where _have_ you been, Blake?" she cut in, getting straight to the point. The question lingered in the air as the team intently watched the young faunus, waiting to hear an explanation.

Blake winced, knowing that question would be unavoidable. She met Weiss' stare and offered a half-hearted smile in an attempt to play it off as no big deal. "Menagerie, it's a desert island in the southeast of Remnant. I was," She paused and averted her gaze again, feeling a sense of shame. "I was visiting home." It _was_ a big deal. She knew Weiss wouldn't take her reply lightly.

Blake was right, of course. Weiss' blood began to boil at her former teammate's response. "You ran off to visit _home_ in a time of crisis?" The white-haired girl made an effort to remain calm for her own sake.

"As if you didn't do the same?" Nora snorted and raised an eyebrow. She was met with Weiss' icy glare. The redhead's comment cast aside any composure she had left.

"I had no choice in the matter; I didn't abandon my friends because I _wanted_ to!" she cried, raising her voice.

"I didn't _abandon_ you!" Blake retorted, her yellow, catlike eyes meeting Weiss' icy blue ones. She withdrew slightly, not wanting their reunion to end up being a fight, but expecting no less.

"You disappeared without a word for _months_! You didn't even bother to _try_ to contact us to let us know you were _alive_ after what happened to you at Beacon! That seems like a pretty clear definition of 'abandonment' to _me_!"

"Guys, stop!" Ruby stepped in between the two, desperate to calm her friends down before the argument became worse. She turned to Weiss. "I'm sure Blake has her reasons, we can't be angry with her if we don't even know her side. Besides, we're all finally together again; this should be a happy reunion, not a time to fight." She gave the white-haired girl a pleading look.

"Ruby's right," Yang agreed as she stepped forward, her eyes never leaving Blake. She seemed to have recovered from the shock of the catgirl's sudden return, though a solemn expression remained on her face as she spoke. "Team RWBY is together again, that's all that should matter right now."

Blake turned away and avoided Yang's intense gaze. She was the only one Blake couldn't bear to lock eyes with. It was impossible to face her directly after the events that took place at Beacon. "Actually, Ruby," she began, dismissing Yang's comment. "I didn't intend to stay. I was just passing by, so—"

"Nonsense!" Ruby interrupted and grabbed ahold of Blake's arm, yanking the faunus down to her level and grinning widely. "You can't possibly think we're just gonna say 'hi' and 'bye' and let you run off again, can you?"

Weiss let out an irritated sigh and crossed her arms over her chest. Her expression had softened and her eyes were kinder as she glanced at Blake. "Honestly, there's no _way_ we're just going to let you run off again. I'm certain we're all still holding you to that promise you made to us, remember?" She smiled warmly. "You promised you'd come to us when you have a problem. Just because we're no longer students doesn't mean we're not still a team."

"And we're here too!" Nora exclaimed, announcing her presence.

"That's right, we're here too. We're all a team now," Jaune spoke up. Ren remained silent, but smiled softly and nodded in agreement. It seemed none of them were about to let her leave so easily after finally reuniting.

Blake looked at each of them, excluding Yang, who still had her piercing eyes still on the catgirl. She let out another sigh and closed her eyes, letting a small smile form on her lips. "You're right, guys. I'm sorry. I'll stay, but I can't promise I'll be able to remain with you for long."

"I suppose that's good enough for now," Weiss replied as she stepped up to Blake and looped her arm around the faunus' free arm. Ruby, still attached to her other arm, pulled her in the direction of the campsite. "Come on! We have so much catching up to do!"

With that, the group began making their way through the woods back towards the camp. Yang held back and followed her team rather slowly. She couldn't sort out her emotions and felt extremely conflicted by Blake's return. The blonde was happy, of course; she had really missed the cat-eyed girl she'd become so fond of. But Blake was avoiding her, Yang was positive about that, and she didn't understand why. Had she done something wrong? She watched the catgirl thoughtfully as Ruby and Weiss happily chattered on their way out of the thick forest. At least she was here and safe. Yang smiled half-heartedly at that thought. That's all that mattered to her in that moment.

After their chase and reuniting at last with Blake, almost everyone in the group was exhausted by the time they returned to their campsite. Ruby seemed to be the only one full of energy and still talking the catgirl's ears off. Though, luckily for the energetic girl, Blake didn't seem to mind. While the others turned in and Yang was on watch from a tree branch overlooking the team, Ruby and Blake continued to converse quietly.

The night settled down at last; even the birds and insects in the area seemed to turn in. Yang, feeling confident they were safe, leaned her back against the tree she had been scouting in and slid to a sitting position. She sighed heavily. Her day had been nothing short of eventful, and she could feel her eyelids growing heavier. Despite being exhausted, she shook her head and stretched in an attempt to stay awake. Below her, she could hear Blake and Ruby giggling.

"Really? Sun met your mom and dad?" Ruby laughed in disbelief. "How did that go?"

"Awful," the faunus shook her head with a chuckle. "It's Sun after all, of course it didn't go well. My mom liked him, but I don't think he made the best first impression to my dad."

"I can about imagine," Ruby smirked and rolled her eyes at the thought. They shared another small laugh before turning their gaze to the fire and settling into a rather uncomfortable silence. The younger girl let out a small sigh and peeked over at Blake. There was still one question burning in the back of her mind.

"Blake," she began, picking up a nearby stick and poking at the burning wood. The catgirl's ears perked up a bit in response as she turned her attention back to Ruby. "You came all this way from Menagerie. Earlier you told us you were just passing by, but I don't think I believe that." She looked up at the older girl and continued. "Have you been following us? How did you find us?"

Blake bit her lip in response and looked down. "I—look, I was on my way to Mistral myself, I found some information regarding Haven Academy and—"

"Blake, it's okay. You can tell me the truth," Ruby interrupted.

The cat-eyed girl was quiet for a moment before letting out a sigh of defeat. "Nothing gets past you anymore, does it?"

"You've been worried about Yang, haven't you?" Ruby replied in a gentle voice. "Is that why you've kept your distance and tried to run away when we found you?" She placed her hand on Blake's to assure her that it was alright.

Yang, still in the tree, had overheard their entire conversation. The blonde hadn't expected them to bring her up, but she couldn't help continuing to eavesdrop, knowing she was now the subject of their talk. Listening intently for Blake's response, she leaned over a little too far. She lost her balance and soon found herself plummeting towards the ground, landing on her back with a hard thud right behind Blake and Ruby. The two whipped around and stared at Yang in surprise.

"Um, you okay, sis?" Ruby asked, still dumbfounded by her sudden appearance. She had nearly forgotten her sister had been resting in the tree above them. Thankfully, Yang had endured much worse, so it hadn't really hurt her.

"Well," she said as she sprang up and brushed herself off. "I suppose that's one way to make an entrance." She offered a grin to the two to show she was alright. Ruby laughed in response and shook her head.

"Yep, you're fine."

Blake, on the other hand, stood up and backed away a couple feet. She kept her eyes low to the ground and cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable with her current situation.

"Ruby, I'm gonna go collect more firewood. We're getting low." Blake didn't wait for a response before she fled, wanting nothing more than to distance herself from Yang. She soon disappeared into the brush as the two sisters watched her go.

Yang let out a frustrated groan and ran a hand through her hair. "Is she going to be like this the entire time?" She was quickly losing her temper at the situation and began pacing, trying to piece together her thoughts. Ruby watched her silently, unsure of how to console her sister. The older of the two bit her lip thoughtfully and debated her next course of action. She should go after the faunus, right? Suddenly, Yang stopped and turned in the direction Blake headed off in.

"Okay, no, it's not gonna continue like this." With that, she trudged into the woods after Blake, leaving Ruby on her own. The black-haired girl sighed heavily and turned back to the fire, hoping the two would be okay and able to work things out. The four girls were back together again, that was true, but it didn't feel much like a team the way things were right then. She stoked the fire and smiled into the flames. This was Yang, though. She always had a way with getting people to open up to her. She'd even told Blake that once long ago. Surely everything would be alright.

Yang rushed through the dense woods, hurrying to catch up with Blake. _This is ridiculous_ , she thought to herself as she wrestled her way through a particularly thick patch of weeds. _She's moody and antisocial, but she's never been like this before. What on earth is her problem?_ As she pondered this, she entered a clearing and spotted Blake mere yards away from her, not slowing her strides.

" _Blake Belladonna_ ," Yang called and stopped in her tracks. Blake, hearing her name, froze as well but kept her back facing the blonde. She held her breath and closed her eyes, bracing herself for the coming conversation. Yang placed her hands on her hips and continued. "You've been avoiding me all night. Stop it."

Blake took a few moments to respond, hesitating to even acknowledge the voice behind her. She kept her voice low and even as she spoke. "I'm… not avoiding you."

Yang furrowed her brow at the catgirl's response. "Then why can't you look at me?" She almost pleaded for Blake to turn around and face her. She wanted nothing more than to simply talk to her as they used to.

The faunus sighed and reluctantly turned around, slowly meeting Yang's eyes and willing herself not to bolt right then and there. Yang looked worried, almost defeated at Blake's hesitation. A twinge of regret shot through the catgirl's chest. It pained her to see Yang look so disheartened.

"Yang," she started. Her name sounded foreign as she spoke; she hadn't said it in so long. "I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be with you right now. It's dangerous. You know what happens by getting close to me." Her hesitation quickly turned to panic. The immense need to escape washed over her. She gave Yang a pleading look. "You're going to get hurt if I stay here with all of you."

Though she tried to remain calm as she processed Blake's words, Yang could feel her temper flare up. She clenched her fists and steadied her breathing. "Dangerous? Why is it dangerous? Is that why you ran off? You assume just because I got _hurt_ , it's suddenly _dangerous_ to be around you now?"

"Yang—" Blake started to respond, but the blonde cut her off, taking a step towards her. Her eyes flared red and she continued.

" _No_! You assume that this is only _your_ battle! You think that the White Fang is _your_ responsibility and you have to fix this by yourself, but it's _not_!" Yang held up her right arm, showing off the metal prosthetic that replaced the real one she once had. " _I lost my arm for you_! You can't expect me to sit back and let you do this _alone_!" Her voice broke and her throat burned from yelling.

An expression of remorse crossed Blake's face as she looked at Yang. Carefully, she closed the distance between her and the blonde and gently placed her hand on Yang's false arm. "That's… exactly why you need to stay away. You lost your arm _because_ of me." Tears formed in her eyes as she spoke and took hold of the prosthetic hand. The metal felt cold under her fingertips, not at all like Yang's skin. "What if next time is worse? What if you lose your leg? Or your other arm? Or…" _Your life._ Blake finished her sentence in her mind and averted her eyes, unable to bear saying it out loud. "I can't let you get hurt again. Not if I can prevent it. Please understand."

Yang fell silent as she looked down at the black-haired girl. She did understand Blake's reasoning for keeping her distance, but she couldn't fathom how she could possibly fight on her own. Surely Blake knew that would be nothing more than suicide. Her eyes returned to their natural lavender colour, watching the catgirl she'd come to cherish so dearly. Blake spoke up again before Yang had the chance to respond.

"I'm sorry I left you. I really, truly am and I hope you can forgive me someday for that." She kept Yang's prosthetic hand in her grasp and looked up at her with apologetic eyes, offering a half-hearted smile. "I don't blame you for being angry with me. I know I should've at least told you where I was going and I'm sorry for worrying you. At this point, I wouldn't even blame you if you wanted to give me a good punch for it. Please, if you feel the need." She attempted to play it off as a joke, but Yang inhaled sharply in response.

She immediately took a step back from the faunus and withdrew her metal arm from her grasp. Her voice was dangerously low as she spoke, a red hue slowly returning to her once calm eyes. "You… want me to _hit_ you?" The blonde stared at the catgirl in disbelief. Surely she had misheard her.

Blake winced, as if the word itself could deliver a blow. She folded her ears back and responded quietly. "It's just… what I'm used to." She couldn't bring herself to elaborate any more than that.

Yang's breath caught in her throat and she could feel her blood begin to boil. She knew exactly what Blake meant; she was comparing Yang's actions to _his_ again. Suddenly, all she could see was red as that realization set in. _Please, not this again_ , she thought. She struggled to keep her voice even as she visibly shook with anger. "Alright. Fine. If that's how you feel."

Blake flinched, noticing Yang clench her fists so tightly her left knuckle had turned white. For a moment she couldn't believe the blonde was actually about to hit her, but she didn't blame her, nor did she back away. She squeezed her eyes shut as hard as she could and braced herself for the impact. The faunus waited. One, two… several seconds had gone by, yet she remained untouched. Slowly, she dared to crack open an eye and peek at Yang. Instead of a punch, Blake was met with the blonde wrapping her arms around her waist and pulling her into a warm, tight embrace. The cat-eyed girl blinked in confusion as Yang buried her face into her long, ebony hair.

"Yang?"

Her arms tightened around Blake as she breathed in her scent. She had missed the catgirl so much. It almost felt surreal that she was in her arms again; so much time had passed since the last time she'd held her. Yang wanted to remain in that moment for as long as she could.

"Blake," she murmured into her hair. The feeling of Yang's breath sent a shiver down her spine. This felt entirely different from the last time the blonde had hugged her. Yang spoke again; the anger she'd felt only moments ago had vanished, as if she were never furious in the first place. "How could you think I'd hit you? How could you _tell_ me to hit you?" She pulled back and searched Blake's cat-like eyes for an answer as tears stung her own. "Do you really believe I'm like him?"

It took a moment for Blake to grasp who Yang was referring to, as she had been distracted at the tears threatening to fall from her lavender eyes. This was the second time the faunus had caused Yang to cry. Her heart sank at the realization that the blonde was talking about Adam. "Oh, Yang," she choked back a sob of her own and pulled her back into a hug. "No, that's not what I meant. I'm sorry. You're nothing like him, I'm just… scared. He's the only person I've ever truly opened up to, and he hurt me in many ways. It makes it hard to open up to anyone else in fear they'd be the same way. Please don't take that personally. I didn't mean to compare you."

Yang let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Wrapping her arms around Blake once more, she closed her eyes and spoke softly. "Okay. I'm sorry I took it that way. It just got a little scary thinking I was like someone who's hurt you so much in the past and continues to do so. Just please know I would never hurt you intentionally. I won't force you to talk about it anymore if you don't want to, but I am here for you if you need me. I'm not going anywhere. And I don't want _you_ to go anywhere." She buried her face in Blake's hair again and pulled her closer. "I love you, Blake."

Hearing those last few words, Blake felt her heart jump in her chest and her cheeks burn as they turned a brilliant shade of red. She pulled back to look at Yang and opened her mouth to respond, but her mind drew a blank and she had lost any ability to form words. Blake bit her lip and averted her eyes, her face turning a deeper red.

The taller girl studied her reaction intently and let out a soft sigh, releasing Blake from her embrace and taking a step back to give her room. "I'm sorry." Even her face had turned a little red from her words. She wasn't sure what kind of reaction she was expecting from Blake, but it wasn't silence. Unsure of what to do next, Yang noticed an old, fallen tree and plopped down on it. A wave of exhaustion swept over her. This had been a lot of emotions to go through in one night and it hadn't exactly played out how she hoped.

Blake, on the other hand, silently watched Yang and sucked in a breath. She let herself regain her composure and collect her thoughts before finding a seat on the old log next to the blonde. This time, Yang was the one who averted her gaze and stared down at the ground. Her face still felt hot; she had no clue what to say. Gently, Blake placed her hand on top of Yang's, causing the blonde to look up at her with a surprised and confused expression.

"I love you, too." Blake's voice was so low it was almost a whisper. She squeezed Yang's hand and was relieved to feel her skin instead of cold metal.

Yang's eyes widened in disbelief at Blake's words. For a moment, she thought she might've imagined it; Blake's voice was so soft when she spoke. "You… do?" _I didn't imagine that, did I?_ She thought. _Blake really said she loved me?_ Blake confirmed Yang's thoughts.

"Yes," she stated and paused, keeping her gaze low to the ground as she spoke. Yang could tell Blake's cheeks were still a little red, despite her long black hair casting a shadow over her face. "I do. I think I have for a long time. After I left, you were constantly on my mind, Yang. Even while I was home visiting my mom and dad, I found myself missing you and wishing you were there with me. I think my parents would really like you, especially my dad."

Her eyes softened and a smile crossed her face for mere seconds before her expression turned somber. "I was really worried and constantly on edge. I wanted you to hate me for what happened to you, but was terrified you really might. Even when I should've been focusing on other things, my mind often wandered to you and hoped you were recovering from the loss of your arm. I didn't feel like it was fair." Blake met Yang's eyes. She was nearly in tears again. "Most nights I wished it had happened to me instead of you. I blamed myse—"

Blake's words were interrupted, Yang's lips suddenly meeting hers. As her mind registered what was happening, the faunus blinked and suddenly her breath was gone. She could feel the heat quickly rising in her cheeks again. Yang placed her hand under Blake's chin and titled it up with her thumb, deepening the kiss. Her free hand wandered to the small of the catgirl's back. Blake shivered in response to the feeling of Yang's steel hand on her bare skin and squeezed her eyes shut. This sensation was all so knew to her.

Her thoughts wandered back to all the times Adam had kissed her. He was rough and emotionless compared to Yang's gentle and loving touch. It was as if Blake was truly feeling loved for the first time.

Unsure of what else to do and not wanting to pull away, Blake leaned into Yang's chest and softly caressed her cheek. Yang seemed pleased with Blake's actions as she sighed with content into the kiss. Apparently Blake hadn't been the only one holding her breath.

After a moment that felt like forever to both of them, Yang broke the kiss and rested her forehead against Blake's. She kept her eyes closed as she whispered, a gentle smile forming on her lips. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

Blake gazed lovingly at Yang and continued to caress her cheek with her thumb. She wasn't quite sure what to say, though Yang didn't seem to mind as she leaned her head into the catgirl's caress. Yang placed her hand on Blake's and pressed a kiss into her palm. Any negativity from their previous conversation had been whisked away in the wind and was replaced with a feeling of security.

"So," Yang piped up after a comfortable silence and opened her eyes to look at Blake. "You'll stay with us? With _me_?"

Blake let out a soft sigh and dropped her hand from Yang's cheek, to which Yang responded by lacing her fingers with the catgirl's. "I don't know, Yang. I still don't want to get you involved—" Her response was cut short.

"I'm _already_ involved," Yang replied firmly and stood up. "And now it's _personal_." She raised her prosthetic arm and furrowed her brow, recalling the events that caused her to lose the real limb she'd once had. Blake couldn't really argue with Yang's words.

"Fair enough," she said and ran a hand through her hair. She looked up to meet Yang's gaze and noticed she looked rather concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Your wound," Yang commented, eyeing Blake's midriff. "Where… _he_ stabbed you. Is it healed?"

"Oh, yeah. I have a scar now, but it healed up pretty well." Blake leaned back to show the blonde the scar on her stomach.

Yang kneeled down in front of the faunus and gently traced her fingertips over the large scar. She couldn't help but feel an immense hatred for the man that hurt Blake in such a way. _Although_ , she thought, _I can only imagine this is nothing in comparison to the emotional scar he must've left._ Yang leaned in and placed a light kiss on the healed wound, causing Blake to shiver lightly at the feeling of the blonde's lips on her stomach. "We're going to get revenge for this. He's going to pay for hurting you. That's a promise."

With that, Yang stood once more and offered a hand to Blake. So much time had passed, the sun slowly started to peek through the trees and the sky had grown lighter. "We should head back, though. I'm sure Ruby is wondering if we've ripped each other's heads off." She smirked and chuckled at her own joke.

Blake smiled, shaking her head in response as she took Yang's hand and stood. "Honestly, I'm sure she's not quite that worried." She could hear Ruby's words echo in her mind before the catgirl spoke again. A thoughtful smile appeared on her lips. "You know, your sister was right."

Yang gave her a quizzical look. "Right about what?"

The smile on Blake's face widened as they walked hand in hand back towards the campsite. "You really do have a way with getting people to open up to you."


End file.
